Pictures We Love

National Geographic editors choose the images from 2017 that intrigued, delighted, and moved them.

11 Minute Read

PUBLISHED December 14, 2017

Sarah Leen, Director of Photography

I look at Avery Jackson with her pink hair, t-shirt, and tights and I think, "That's what courage looks like." For how does a 9 year-old know herself so well? And in knowing herself, she is setting herself apart in ways that may not always be compatible with her friend's or neighbor's opinions, and that may invite ridicule or scorn.

Yet there she is proud, perhaps a little defiant too, but committed to herself in spite of any obstacles. As she says, "The best thing about being a girl, is now I don't have to pretend to be a boy." I can feel the relief and freedom in that statement. And it makes me very happy.

"Once refugees reach the crowded camp, they must set up their own tents with bamboo sticks and a tarp," says photographer William Daniels. "In every tent I entered someone was wounded or sick, or traumatized by having witnessed family members killed before their eyes. All of the children of Nur Kober (right) and his wife Joleka (left) were sick with fever."

Two marine iguanas seem unfazed by the presence of one of their mummified brethren, dead likely from starvation, on Isla Fernandina. Endemic to the Galápagos, these raccoon-size lizards forage for algae along the shore; larger males dive into the ocean. The algae they eat die in warm water, rendering Darwin’s “imps of darkness” susceptible to climate change.

There is a peculiar grace and whimsy to Thomas Peschak’s photograph of marine iguanas on Isla Fernandina in the Galapagos.

The whip of the tail, the expression on the face of the middle lizard as it munches a dragonfly, and the position of the animal in the back takes you all around the image. It takes a moment to realize that the tail and the claws in the foreground belong to a mummified iguana.

Every time I presented this photograph, it took a minute for the viewers to realize that this was not a quirky look at iguanas soaking up the sun. That is what makes this such an impactful photograph – it works on multiple levels. It is both visually arresting and storytelling and it alludes to the potential impact of climate change in the Galapagos. Warming seas will kill the algae that these iguanas depend on.

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As darkness falls on Guassa, geladas break into a run down a slope toward their sleeping cliffs. They will spend the night perched on narrow rocky ledges, trying to stay safe from leopards, hyenas, and feral dogs.

Photograph by Jeffrey Kerby and Trevor Beck Frost, National Geographic

Vaughn Wallace, Senior Photo Editor

This photo is full of the energy of life. High in the Ethiopian highlands, photographers Jeff Kerby and Trevor Frost spent years studying the lifestyle, habits and movements of geladas and it shows.

The intimacy of this photo offers its own narrative magic, inviting us closer to a vision of life that transcends words.

What caused this family of gelada, hundreds strong, to begin this sundown sprint to the safety of their sleeping cliffs? What is the sound of thundering feet upon the grasses of Guassa? Just one moment with this photo and my mind has already wandered to parts unknown.

This photo by Kirsten Luce was taken for a story about firefly tourism in Mexico. Tourists flock to sanctuaries like this one in Santa Clara, Mexico to see the forest floor blanketed with fireflies, a spectacle which only happens a few weeks out of the year. People’s overwhelming fascination with these tiny insects has curbed logging in this area, created an economy for tourism for these small towns, and elevated the importance of preserving sacred spaces for animals of all sizes.

I love that this tiny bug, so simple and familiar to many of us, can inspire such curiosity and wonder in people, and can urge us to care about the preserve ecosystems in which they live. Nature can be simple and magical at the same time, if we let it.

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Wearing a curtain and a cardboard crown, Kristina Khudi becomes the “tundra princess” in the Nenets camp near the Kara Sea. The eight-year-old says her happiest time is summer, when a helicopter sent by Gazprom and the regional government brings her and other kids home from school to their migrating families.

This photo captures a dreamy world I would have never imagined under the Antarctic ice. There is something fascinating about being able to see what is beneath the surface, especially in such an isolated place.

I love the stream of bubbles left behind as the emperor penguin, near the bottom of the frame, swims effortlessly through the water. The clarity and lighting of this moment provides me with a lingering feeling of peace and wonder.

Props to photographer Laurent Ballesta who made this strenuous deep dive under the ice to show us an incredible world teeming with life.

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A North Korean sailor inside the captured USS Pueblo, which is now at the War Museum in Pyongyang.

I absolutely love the work of David Guttenfelder. This image, which was taken on assignment in North Korea, is one of my favorites. The composition is simple but the symbolism is complex.

North Korea has become even more shielded off from the outside world in the past decade and this photograph stands as a visual metaphor for the country’s position in the global arena.

The sailor’s protective gesture covers his face but still reveals his eyes. He is pushed back against the wall in a dark space yet the light still shines directly above him. The sailor uniform looks like a costume in a war museum. All these elements contribute to the making of an image that speaks beyond the physicality that was captured in this photograph—an excellent image that moved me beyond the frame.

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Samburu warriors found this baby trapped in a hand-dug well. When the elephant’s herd didn’t come back for her, the team took her to the sanctuary. Dubbed Kinya, she was given loving care by keepers such as Rimland Lemojong. Even so, she died weeks later.

When baby elephants are separated from their mothers, touch is critical to their survival in the first few hours—contact with another elephant is ideal, but a caring human will do.

Ami Vitale’s photographs of the Reteti elephant sanctuary in northern Kenya tell the story of the burgeoning love affair between the Samburu community and the wild elephants which sometimes fall into the wells the Samburu dig to water their livestock in this arid land.

The Samburu were once at odds with their elephant neighbors, but the sanctuary has brought them together in a way that benefits them both—the Samburu work as the caretakers, learning skills and earning income, while orphaned baby elephants are rescued and rehabilitated.

Ami’s photograph of Kinya with Rimland Lemojong, who helped in the rescue, stands out to me. This tender, playful moment embodies a connection between living beings who are in this life together, for better or worse.

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Scientists are challenging the view that addiction is a moral failing and researching treatments that could offer an exit from the cycle of desire, bingeing, and withdrawal that traps tens of millions of people. Janna Raine became addicted to heroin two decades ago after taking prescription pain pills for a work injury.

I loved every single photo Max Aguilera-Hellweg shot for “The Addicted Brain” in our September issue, so picking only one of them seems a bit arbitrary. But this one illustrates one of Max’s finer qualities as a person and a photographer: empathy.

In this photograph, we meet Janna Raine, who is addicted to heroin and living underneath a Seattle freeway. Seeing her in this sprawling camp that she calls home helps us grasp the enormity of the opioid crisis in America. Our eyes meet hers in what feels like a fleeting moment. Her backwards glance makes it hard to look away and impossible not to wonder what her life is like.

Max is one of the most curious people I know. He is able to grasp and visualize complex science, whether it is biology or particle physics. He is also deeply empathetic and loves spending time with people and hearing their stories. He approaches his stories like a filmmaker. The result is a strong driving narrative with visual consistency that is both smart and caring. Bravo Max!

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Mauli Dhan climbs a hundred feet up a bamboo rope ladder to his prize: a hive filled with neurotoxic honey. Smoke from smoldering grass disorients the bees, possibly reducing the number of stings Mauli will suffer. Before he grabs the support rope beside him, a misstep could be fatal.

This surreal and intriguing image, the opener to our July story about the honey hunters of Nepal, is one I’m personally attached to. In one frame, photographer/filmmaker Renan Ozturk captures the mystery of this unique honey harvesting tradition.

I love the details that emerge through the smoke – the frayed bamboo ladder, the rope, the giant bees that almost pop out of the picture, the cloth cover revealing Mauli's grimacing face, the partially obscured rock wall beyond. And I love what is left for us to wonder about: How is Mauli climbing a swaying rope while bees attacks? How high is he off the ground? How is Renan shooting this image?

One of our core strengths is documenting unusual cultural traditions in the remotest regions of the world. And so when Renan offered me the opportunity to join him on his return trip to this remote area of Nepal, I went on my own time.

I saw first-hand how challenging it was for Renan to juggle multiple large cameras while spinning in space from a rope, being attacked by the world’s largest bees with the knowledge that one sting could be fatal—Renan developed a strong allergic reaction while on assignment. But he isn’t one to spend much time thinking about discomfort. He was far too keen to capture the scenes unfolding in front of him.

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“For a guy who is managed to the second and is always in suits and ties, being out in the middle of the ocean had to be a real treat,” says photographer Brian Skerry. He hopes this image of Barack Obama snorkeling will draw attention to ocean conservation efforts.

I love this image because it is historic, iconic, and of a person I find personally inspiring. This was the first time a sitting President has ever been captured in this way, opening himself up to the public. More than that it was Obama demonstrating his love and dedication to protecting the environment. And above all, it is an absolutely beautiful photograph.

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With a measles outbreak in progress, a Doctors Without Borders–supported motorcycle convoy arrives at a northern Congolese village—part of an urgent campaign to inoculate as many settlements as possible. The coolers keep the vaccine at the right temperature to maintain its potency.

The boy was stunned. Not from the whine from the motorbike engines that he heard from afar, or the strange blue containers they were carrying as they rode by, but because of the white man riding with one of the drivers.

Photographer William Daniels , on assignment for National Geographic magazine for story on vaccines, later learned that all the villagers under the age of 12 in this remote region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo had never seen a light-skinned person

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Mark Landis, who says he was a failure as a commercial artist, spent nearly three decades imitating the works of famous painters, including this one in the style of folk artist William Matthew Prior. Posing as a philanthropist or Jesuit priest, he donated them to art museums and enjoyed being treated with respect.

Dan Winters has a way of synthesizing both drama and empathy in his images. This image is from a series of portraits he created for the June feature story “Why We Lie”.

Turns out that we lie in big and small ways, and as a species, we lie often. As I looked for examples of the multiplicity of reasons for lying, self-aggrandizement is a very common reason, along with self-preservation, and sometimes we lie for good.

Dan’s portrait of Mark Landis, the art forger, hits a beautiful storytelling note. Landis’ reason for creating forgeries was altruistic because he donated them to museums which probably could not afford to purchase them.

The way the frame splits into a dark and moody side and a lighter, fanciful side seems a perfect way to tell Landis’ story. He admitted that when his forgery was exposed, he was very sorry only because he had to stop.

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Above the village of Pasu, a teenager checks his Facebook. Many residents here are Ismaili, followers of a moderate branch of Islam. A sign on the mountain slope commemorates the time in 1987, when the Ismaili imam, the Aga Khan, visited the remote region.

This opening image shot in the Gojali region of northern Pakistan by Matthieu Paley stands out as one of my favorites this year.

Amidst the dramatic landscape and beautiful light, there’s an air of serenity and solitude. Paley’s familiarity and love for the region shines through in all the images in this story; you really feel like he takes you on a journey with him.

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Emma Fullmoon can count on younger relatives to provide food, like this salmon. And guests are always welcome in the home she shares with extended family. “That’s just what we’re supposed to do,” says her sister Fanny Simon. Though the Yupik idea of hospitality has endured, other customs have not.

Erika Larsen’s portrait of Emma Fullmoon, a descendent of the Yupik people, conveys the empathy and tenderness she feels for Emma and the People in Nunalleq, who are rediscovering their heritage as the permafrost around them slowly melts due to rising temperatures.

As the curator for Your Shot's Daily Dozen I'm always looking for images that show the variety of subject matter we receive from our global community.

When I came upon this photograph from Thotsaphorn Prapaithong, I was amazed by just how much rain was pouring down on the Thai military soldiers. What really struck me was the expression on the face of the man in the center of the frame. His stoic look proved that he was focused and that marching through any type of climate was possible.

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"I titled this photo 'Tactile' for a series portraying my battle with Lyme disease," writes photographer Ethel Nalule. "One of my symptoms is Allodynia, a rather painful and uncomfortable feeling all over my body, caused by the lightest touch."

I love how our Your Shot community connects strangers from around the world through a mutual love of photography and storytelling.

I love how this beautiful portrait by Ethel Nalule resonates with fellow Your Shot photographer Andrea LaRiviere, who commented “I like the rawness of this image. The light is beautiful and hot. I too have Lyme disease (have had it for over 11 years now). My skin does not hurt like yours, instead it is muscle pain all over my body in random places and severe migraines. My heart goes out to you. I hope you find a way to deal with the cruelties this disease inflicts. It seems you have through your photography.”

And what I really love is that Andrea is not the only Your Shot photographer who commented words of support and encouragement to Ethel.

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Some Rohingya live outside the camps near Cox’s Bazar. This man lives in a settlement on the Bay of Bengal, near trees planted to prevent erosion and close to a hotel catering to tourists drawn by the beach.

This year we were inundated with devastating images of the Rohingya fleeing religious persecution in Myanmar–the sick, the starving, the heartbroken. We sent photographer William Daniels to Bangladesh to document their plight, and the resulting images capture the depth and complexity of this ongoing humanitarian crisis.

This photograph of a Rohingya Muslim walking through a wooded area outside of Cox’s Bazaar resonated with me in particular–amidst the chaos of the crisis, Daniel’s stumbled upon a moment of quiet, almost transcendent beauty.

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The DMZ Peace Train carries South Korean soldiers and tourists from Seoul to train terminals closest to the DMZ. Each cabin has a different theme—peace, love, and harmony—which were designed to inspire feelings of hope and reconciliation.

I love this photo because it captures the bizarre juxtapositions that permeate Korea’s Demilitarized Zone. Stone-faced, camouflaged soldiers sit in sharp contrast with the train’s bright decor, which looks more like a preschool classroom than a war memorial. But this surreal image alludes to the DMZ’s many meanings—simultaneously a military base, a place of tragedy, and a tourist attraction.

Photographer David Guttenfelder traveled to the Korean border where he stood on both sides of the DMZ to capture this strange duality. The resulting images show a place of healing—where history is remembered and memorialized—but they also show a physical barrier that continues to prevent meaningful connection between two divided nations.

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By filling the air with a fine mist using an ultrasonic fogger, researchers can observe the tornado-like vortices that this Anna’s hummingbird sheds at the end of each half-stroke—when its wings flip more than 90 degrees and reverse course. (Sources: Victor Ortega-Jimenez and Robert Dudley, UC Berkeley; Doug Altshuler, University of British Columbia, Vancouver)

In a world flush with powerful imagery, I have always marveled at a photographer’s skill to capture feeling and moment in a still frame. Anand Varma’s story for National Geographic on hummingbirds is an exquisite example of such a moment.

Spending well over a year working on the story, Anand has rendered a remarkable crystalline image of a species of bird renown for its mesmerizing habits and pattern of flight. Channeling this extravagant beauty and motion into a still frame, Anand has distilled the power and mystery of nature into an extraordinary photograph showing us a world few have seen in such arrested detail.

Surprising and revelatory, Anand’s photograph and series on hummingbirds is a must see.